Robert William Marshall

ROBERT WILLIAM MARSHALL

Born : June 17, 1959
Deceased :

Bishop of Alexandria in Louisiana, 2020-present

Official blazon

(personal half) Azure a Latin cross issuant from three steps in base below a barrulet wavy all Argent; on a chief wavy Gules between two pine cones Or a mullet of five points Argent.

Origin/meaning

The arms show a blue background with a silver Cross of Calvary. Both the background color and the cross are derived from the coat of arms associated with a name “Martin”. This was the bishop’s mother’s maiden name and is used to honor his family heritage. The wavy line represents the Mississippi River near to which the bishop has lived for most of his life. In addition, a symbol of the Mississippi River is included in the coat of arms of the Diocese of Memphis in which the bishop served as a priest prior to becoming a bishop.

The chief shows single silver five-pointed star between two gold pine cones. The star comes from the emblem of the LaSalle Christian Brothers who educated the bishop both in his high school and college years as well as educating his father and uncles. That Religious Community of men had a profound and lasting impact on not only the bishop’s education but also on his spiritual life and journey and on the lives of his family. The red background and pine cones are borrowed from the coat of arms of the bishop’s patron saint, St. Robert Bellarmine.

The motto below the shield is, “Live, Jesus In Our Hearts” from a prayer attributed to St. John Baptist de La Salle (1651-1719), founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and patron saint of teachers of youth. The prayer is used multiple times each day in LaSallian schools throughout the world. It is used most frequently in dialog. The leader says, “Live Jesus in our hearts,” and the students respond, “Forever!”